The Fight Inside
by Magus732
Summary: It's been 6 weeks since the Dark Ace's death. But with each passing day, Aerrow gets more disturbed. Now, when Aerrow gets attacked mysteriously, he says his old enemy is responsible. Is he losing it? Rated M for safety... Ch. 7 is up! Final chapter!
1. Chapter 1

The Fight Inside

By Magus732

A freezing-cold morning washed over the _Condor_, bringing a icy, miserable draft over the deck of the ship. As Aerrow looked out from the bridge railing, he seemed beside himself. A conflict raged within, one that now could never be resolved.

"Aerrow, you alright?" Piper inquired worriedly. Lately, the redheaded Sky Knight had been cold and aloof. Distant.

"Just thinkin'..." He said softly after a moment of silence.

"About what?"

"The Dark Ace..."

"Aerrow, he's gone... as in 'not coming back'..."

"And that doesn't bother you!?" The young man walked toward the starboard side, fists clenched tightly in anger. The navigator walked closer and tried to put a hand on his shoulder, only to see him pull away from her comforting gesture.

"What's up with you lately, Aerrow? The team's worried about you..."

"I'm just angry, Piper... that's all..."

"Yes, I think we got _that_... what I want to know is: why? What are you so angry about?"

"I never got to bring the Dark Ace down..."

"So? None of us did, Aerrow. You're the only one taking it so hard..."

"You don't understand, Piper-"

"You're damn right, I don't understand! You've been a pretty lousy leader lately, and the best answer you can come up with is, 'you don't understand'? What the hell is wrong with you, Aerrow!?" Suddenly, the redhead's formerly empty eyes flashed with hate, and as he reached forward menacingly and backed her into a corner, his hands found her throat, clamping down mercilessly as she yelped in panic.

"Don't _ever_ question me, Piper! I'm the leader for a reason! I brought this team together when we were nobody and nothing! What, you suddenly think you can run the Storm Hawks better than me!?" His burning rage seemed to consume him, but after a brief struggle, he let her go. His eyes suddenly seemed empty again.

"Piper, I... I'm sorry... I-I don't know what came over me..." The young woman panted scaredly before running back inside. The redhead turned his eyes back toward the skyline, sighing in defeat.

"What's wrong with me?" Aerrow said to himself softly. "Why am I so angry all the time?"

"Because you never got a chance to beat me, Aerrow... you never got to avenge your father's death..." Someone called to the redhead as he looked up from the floor. There, standing not 2 feet away, was...

"The Dark Ace!?"

_Meanwhile..._

"AHHH!!!" Everyone inside the _Condor_ looked up from what they were doing. At first, no one believed that they had really just heard what they thought they heard. Finn was the first to speak.

"That sounded like-" The scream came again, much louder this time.

"Aerrow!" Piper yelled in panic as he saw the redhead in question go flying over the bridge rail, hanging precariously by one finger.

"Aerrow!!" Piper and Junko reached over the edge to grab the Sky Knight just as he lost his tedious grip.

"Hang on, Aerrow! We'll pull ya up!" Junko yelled as he yanked him up over the rail.

"Aerrow, what happened?" The navigator asked worriedly.

"It was... the Dark Ace!" Aerrow said disbelievingly.

"What!?" Finn said as he came up behind them, crossbow at the ready.

"The Dark Ace _attacked_ me, knocked me over the rail, then took off on his Switchblade!" Aerrow insisted, somewhat forcefully.

"Are you sure you saw the Dark Ace, Aerrow? It couldn't have been anyone else?" Piper insisted.

"I'm telling you, it was the Dark Ace!" The others shared a look of concern. This wasn't a promising turn of events... for anyone.


	2. Chapter 2

"How you doin', Aerrow?" Finn asked hesitantly as the redhead in question turned his empty eyes toward the blond. A major difference could be seen in those emerald orbs, however; they were tinged with a trace of red.

"Okay, I guess... everything seems so... out there, y'know?" Aerrow sighed softly, unable to think clearly since the "attack". The other Storm Hawks had, of course, reminded him that the Dark Ace was dead. But, he _knew_ what he saw.

"Need anything?" The sharpshooter was anxious to get out of there; their last conversation hadn't gone so well.

"Nope... just rest, right now..." The Sky Knight shifted to look at Finn while lying on his side.

"Y'know, Finn, I don't tell you this often enough-" The marksman's face perked up. "But you _really_ need to get in more combat practice." The blond's face fell again. That's when _Finn_ got angry for a change.

"Dude, are you serious!? That's all you have to say!? No 'thanks for checking up on me' or 'good to see you'!? Are you kidding me!? You... you bastard!" The sharpshooter stormed out furiously, leaving Aerrow stunned; he'd never spoken to the Sky Knight so disrespectfully before.

"So, Aerrow... getting along well with your teammates, I see..." The Dark Ace suddenly appeared in a chair sitting next to Aerrow, idly eyeing the crystal from his blade.

"What do _you_ want, Ace?" He said half-heartedly.

"What's wrong? Things not going well? Something... bothering you, Sky Knight?" The Cyclonian taunted, shifting his legs a bit.

"No, nothing's bothering me... except you... can't you just leave me alone!?" He threw a glass of orange juice at the older man, watching it impact the wall beside him.

"Well, I could, but... what fun would there be in that?" He answered darkly.

"Go away!!"

_Meanwhile..._

"I'm starting to think Aerrow's losing it... I mean, he's been acting _really_ weird, and this business with the Dark Ace attacking him? What's the real problem?" Piper thought out loud.

"Mindworms..." Stork answered her question absently. She looked up from her books to eye the pilot.

"Huh? I'm sorry, Stork, did you say something?"

"Nothing _you'd_ be interested in..." He muttered under his breath. She blinked a bit in surprise then groaned in frustration, crossing her arms and scowling angrily.

"Stork, are you _still_ mad about the sandcakes!?"

"No! Well, yes, but... never mind!" The Merb turned to glare at her. He'd let Radarr take over the controls for awhile, having agreed to help her "figure things out." She seemed to enjoy his company but not his ideas.

"What'd I do _now_!?"

"Nothing!"

"Then what the hell are you mad for!?"

"Because you were _supposed_ to do something yesterday!" He answered, voice dripping with venom.

"What're you talking about, Stork?"

"Nothing. Never mind." He turned back to his book, sitting in his favorite chair at the meeting table. She had forgotten his birthday; nothing important.

"Stork, Aerrow is falling apart-"

"It's not always about Aerrow, Piper!" He spat back angrily. She put her hands on her hips.

"But right now, it is!"

"Hmph!" He stormed out like a little child throwing a temper tantrum. She stood stunned for several seconds before she shook her head; she could only deal with one crisis at a time.

"Hey, Piper. Hey, Radarr." Junko called as he entered the bridge, recoiling a bit when Piper slammed her fists into the meeting table.

"What's wrong, Piper?" He asked hesitantly.

"Something's up with Stork now! He's acting like a spoiled little brat, and I have _no_ idea why!" She groaned in frustration.

"Well, maybe you forgot something. I mean, I know everyone's been kinda busy with everything going on, but... it _was_ Stork's birthday yesterday, and-"

"It was his birthday yesterday!? No wonder he got so upset! Oh! He probably hates me now." She sat and let her head hit the table, sighing in defeat.

"He doesn't hate you, Piper. He really likes you." The Wallop added comfortingly.

"Yeah, but he probably likes me a lot less after I forgot his birthday _and_ yelled at him." She groaned again, unable to think straight after everything that had happened. She was running on 6 hours of sleep, and her brain was ready to blow up.

"Maybe you should get some sleep, Piper. You've been up almost every night this week." Junko said, putting one hand on her shoulder.

"I can't sleep, Junko. Not like this." She answered softly.

"Piper!! C'mere, quick!!!" Finn suddenly yelled in panic. The pair ran at full speed through the ship, reaching Aerrow's room in time to see Finn pull his crossbow from behind his back.

"What happened!?" Piper looked around, seeing the various blast marks.

"I don't know! I came to get Aerrow some lunch, and he was gone!" The Merb and Wallop beside her gasped loudly. Now, a new danger; Stork noticed Aerrow's blades weren't over his bed anymore.

"Um, guys..." He pointed out the blank wall. They shared another hard look. Now, they go Aerrow-hunting.


	3. Chapter 3

"Is that the best you can do, Aerrow!?" The sound of blades crashing together echoed through the otherwise nondescript hallway. A few lights overhead flickered on and off as their power waned.

"Not on your life, Dark Ace!" The hallway suddenly grew dark, save for the glow of red and blue energy. Aerrow slashed hard, cutting several inches into a steel support beam before pulling his blade free for another pass as the lights flickered back on.

"Your friends are sure I'm not really here, but if I _wasn't_ really here, I couldn't do this." The Cyclonian slashed at Aerrow, opening a deep scar across his chest. The Sky Knight yelled in pain and dropped to his knees. Panting in exhaustion, he could barely bring his blades up in time to block an attempt to make him a head shorter.

"Out of breath already, Sky Knight? Very disappointing..." The Dark Ace sneered nastily, kicking Aerrow in the gut as he leisurely walked forward. As the redhead layed sprawled out on the ground, the older man brought his blade down with all his might. Aerrow deftly slid clear, slashing at his ankles in an attempt to bring the Cyclonian down. The Dark Ace easily jumped clear, effortlessly landing on his feet some distance away. Finding renewed strength, the Sky Knight rose to his feet and leapt forward to attack, only to see his opponent slip right just as he was about to land a hit. Following through with a tackle, Aerrow slammed headfirst into a wall, nearly knocking himself out as the Dark Ace laughed tauntingly. The exhausted redhead didn't even have time to catch his breath before the Cyclonian introduced the hilt of his sword to Aerrow's head, leaving a thick, red bruise as he again fell to his knees.

"Your time without me's made you soft, Aerrow. I thought you were stronger than this!" Once more, the Sky Knight found himself kicked onto his back. He panted as sweat dripped from his forehead.

"I _am_ stronger than this!" The redhead insisted angrily. Leaping forward, he again lashed out at the Dark Ace's ankles, trying to bring him down. And just like before, the Dark Ace easily jumped clear.

"You were always so weak, Sky Knight. I didn't think you'd make it _this_ far." The Dark Ace watched with wide eyes as Aerrow leapt back to his feet, slashing at him with every ounce of strength.

"Very good, Aerrow. Maybe someday you'll thank me for letting you live long enough to enjoy your training." The older man intercepted Aerrow as he was about to finish the fight with a headshot. As the redhead struggled vainly to break free, the Cyclonian pulled his wrist back with a loud "crack". As Aerrow cried out in pain, dropping the blade in his left hand, he kneed the Talon in the groin, bringing the Dark Ace to his knees and momentarily giving him the advantage. He sliced through his opponent's left shoulder, finally drawing blood as he stuck the glowing blade through the flesh of his foe. With a sadistic grin, the Dark Ace grabbed Aerrow's hand and drove the blade deeper, ripping the young man's hand free as he left the blade in his shoulder.

"What... are you?" Aerrow half-asked/half-gasped, right before the Talon commander delivered a pulverizing hurricane kick to the Sky Knight's jaw, nearly knocking him out cold. He kicked Aerrow lightly in the chest, leaving him flat against the floor as he stood over him in victory.

"Your worst nightmare, kid." The Dark Ace laughed evilly as the redhead faded into unconsciousness.

_Meanwhile..._

"Aerrow!!" Piper called out, blindly sticking her head out a bridge window. As the near-deafening roar of the storm rattling the ship drowned out any chance for a response, she hurriedly closed the window, sighing softly.

"Where could he be?" She thought out loud. Suddenly, a certain Merb hugged her from behind, the same way she had after they'd made it out of the Black Gorge. Sighing softly, he nuzzled into her shoulder as he turned her around.

"Um, Stork?" He "murred" softly as she looked suspiciously at him.

"I'm sorry about yesterday, Piper." He whispered in her ear. She smiled nervously, thinking he was, perhaps, having a nervous breakdown. When he "murred" again, softly rubbing her back, she smiled a little more.

"Stork, that's really sweet, but you don't have to-"

"We'll find him, Piper." He finally broke the hug, scurrying back to the helm without another word. She stared slack-jawed as he resumed piloting as though nothing had just happened.

"Stork, that was... really nice... what you just did, but-"

"Look, Piper, I've decided it's probably best that we, ahem, go our separate ways... emotionally..." She gave him a questioning look, then laughed loudly, not realizing he was serious.

"Stork, I'm not going anywhere! What're you talking about?" Stork gave her a suspicious look.

"But... but the other day, you said... and then I said... and then we hugged, and-"

"Whoa, slow down! What 'other day' are you talking about?" He sounded delusional, so she thought he really _was_ having a nervous breakdown.

"Piper, I want you to be with someone who makes you happy... and, for the past few weeks, I've been... kind of a jerk to you..."

"Why!?"

"So you'd go to Aerrow and admit your feelings for him!" He braced himself as though he expected her to explode. She smiled sweetly and pulled him into a huge hug.

"Oh, Stork! That's so sweet! You'd have me be mad at you just so Aerrow and I could hook up?" He nodded slightly, still expecting her to attack. Suddenly, she leapt up and squealed in joy, dropping the Merb on his back on the floor. He suddenly found himself in a lung-crushing hug from the navigator.

"Stork, I don't know how I'll ever thank you!"

"Stop... trying... to... suffocate... me!" He answered raggedly. She let him go, laughing nervously.

"Sorry. Oh, Stork, this is perfect! I've been trying to tell Aerrow for months now! I just... couldn't find the courage to actually do it."

"Well, don't ask me. I'm no good at romance." He answered blandly.

"I'll make you a whole batch of sandcakes if you help me make _this_ romance happen." She whispered sweetly in his pointed ear. His eyes grew huge, and he immediately ran back to his room, grabbed a trunk loaded with... something... and drug the heavy container onto the bridge.

"What is _that_?" Finn asked annoyingly as he walked onto the bridge after the Merb. Junko scratched his head next to the blond.

"It's a trunk, Finn." He responded, answering the sharpshooter's seemingly rhetorical question. Everyone laughed as Finn scowled.

"No, I mean _that_!" He pointed out toward the bow. They turned to look and saw-

"Aerrow's Skimmer! Stork, land, quick!" They piled out to find the wreckage of their leader's ride. Another hard look; lying with the wreckage of the Skimmer was part of Aerrow's torn uniform.


	4. Chapter 4

"No... I can't rest... gotta defeat... the Dark Ace..." Aerrow mumbled softly as he staggered into the entrance of a dark cave. His left eye was nearly swollen shut, a parting gift from the Dark Ace as he shook the Sky Knight awake, hoping his foe would get to watch his fall off the edge of a cliff. The young warrior was awake enough to grab a tangle of roots hanging inches away, managing to pull himself back up as the Talon commander walked away. Having run from any further conflict, the Cyclonian led Aerrow through a dense maze of trees, while watching with muted interest as he struggled to keep pace. The young man had lost a lot of blood by now, and his muscles ached with every step. Somehow, he found the will to keep going. The redheaded youth lost his footing on the slippery rocks as he climbed further into the cave, and tumbled down 20 feet of nearly vertical stone, landed in a shallow pool of water. Aerrow layed there, unable to get back to his feet.

"Awww... did you slip, Sky Knight? How the mighty have fallen..." The familiar voice taunted from the darkness. Aerrow grunted in effort as he propped himself up to lay on his side, getting weaker by the second. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see in the light of the glowing moss on the rocks around him. Suddenly, visible movement. Someone approaching. He resumed lying on his back, accepting the seeming inevitability of his death.

"Aerrow!!" Another voice, softer than before even with the yelling of his name. Someone picking him up. His head swirled as he drifted off to blissful sleep.

_Sometime later..._

Aerrow awoke in his bed, secured with tight straps. He struggled against them with futile effort; they didn't even budge.

"How's he doing, Stork?" That voice, the one from the cave: Piper.

"He'll live, assuming nothing dangerous was growing in that puddle he landed in." The Merb replied worriedly.

"Is he... is he gonna be okay?" Junko chimed in scaredly.

"What all did he break, Stork?" Piper queried. The pilot's answer was bland but filled to the brim with concern.

"His left wrist, both his ankles, his left collarbone, 6 ribs, his upper right arm..."

"Okay, okay... he's in bad shape, we get it..." A certain blond sharpshooter interrupted the list.

"I'm not done, Finn." Stork shot back flatly.

"Go on, Stork." Piper stated.

"Well, he _didn't_ break his back, which... is good. He does have a bruised spleen, though. He's gonna be off his feet for quite awhile." The Merb finished, at which point the Sky Knight felt something run along the floor toward him and jump up onto the foot of his bed. A worried whine and an inquisitive chirp.

"R-Radarr?" The redhead called out weakly. An affirmative chirp, then a whine.

"It's okay, buddy... I'm fine... I've been worse..." He quietly assured the fuzzball, though he didn't _feel_ fine. His left eye burned a bit, and if he opened it even the slightest amount, it seemed to get terribly worse. As he tried once more, he yelled in pain.

"Aerrow!" The group came running back into the room. They sighed with relief when they saw he was just testing his eye.

"Hey, guys..." He spoke softly, wincing a bit with each sentence; his lower lip was also swollen from the fight.

"Hey, Aerrow..." Piper sat down on the edge of his bed, her scent wafting over the Sky Knight as the oscillating fan blew over him.

"Piper, I-" He started. She put her finger over his lips.

"Shhh... it's okay... you're safe now..."

"He's still out there, Piper... no one's safe..." They knew who he was talking about: the Dark Ace.

"Aerrow, we didn't find any trace of him in that cave: no footprints, no blast marks, nothing." Finn stated nervously.

"What do you mean, Finn? I _know_ he was there... you think I did this to _myself_?" He asked with a breaking voice, tears welling up in his eyes.

"No, no, of course we don't think that, Aerrow." The navigator pulled his head into her lap, rubbing the top of his spiky hair to calm him down.

"It's just... we looked everywhere, and didn't find a single thing." She quietly added. He began to cry softly, burying his face into her lap.

"Piper, I can't... I don't understand any of this..." He said between sobs. She rubbed the back of his head softly.

"It's okay, Aerrow... _something_ attacked you, but you're safe here with us..." She heard him sniffle a bit, pulling his face away to look up at her with a slight smile.

"Um, guys... I think we have a problem..." Stork looked up from Aerrow's X-ray pictures. He held one in particular up to the light so the others could see it.

"I'm by no means an expert on human anatomy, but... what is _that_?" He pointed to a dark mass near Aerrow's liver.

"I don't know. It's definitely _not_ one of his organs. It's in the middle of nowhere." Piper answered worriedly. She looked at it a bit more closely with a magnifying glass, then started to hear a shuffling of Aerrow's sheets.

"Aerrow, your ankles are broken. You shouldn't be up and arou- Aerrow?" She looked over at his bed but found nothing. The others looked around in panic. He had seemingly vanished. Then the sounds of a fight just outside the door.

"NO! YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER!!!" They ran out the door, spilling into the hallway just in time to see Aerrow grappling with an invisible foe, which ended with him landing flat on his back.

"Guys, stop him!" The Sky Knight shouted. They all looked around confusedly.

"Guys, he's getting away!" Somehow, the badly-beaten redhead got back to his feet and took off after... whatever had attacked him. He suddenly stopped, unable to keep going.

"Why didn't you stop him!?" He shouted angrily. His eyes were now a bold red, nearly matching the color of his hair. Piper stared at him with wide eyes.

"Aerrow, there was nobody there..."


	5. Chapter 5

As Aerrow sat strapped to a chair in the middle of the hangar bay, struggling to break free, Stork walked around and attached various electrodes to the redhead's temples and chest.

"Guys, I'm _not_ crazy! I _really_ saw the Dark Ace! I _fought_ him! Let me go! I have to stop him!!" The Sky Knight protested loudly. Piper sat worriedly nearby, twiddling her thumbs idly as she waited for the test to begin.

"You may feel a... slight... stinging in your temples." The Merb stated darkly as he connected everything together.

"You can't do this to me! I'm your leader!! LET ME GO!!!" Finally, Stork flipped a jackknife switch, sending an arc of electricity across the Sky Knight's chest and forehead. As he winced in pain, his yelling died down. He slowly calmed to a trance-like state as the electricity weakened to an audible buzzing, his eyes half-closed. Then, Piper slowly walked over.

"Aerrow, can you hear me?"

"Yes..." He responded flatly. His voice held no emotion, no tone or inflection. He almost sounded like a robot.

"Okay, good... now, I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I want you to answer as thoroughly as you can... understand?"

"Yes..." Hearing his reply, she pulled out an index card.

"Okay, what's the last thing you remember before this moment?"

"I was being dragged into this chair by Junko and Finn, and then Stork began strapping on the electrodes attached to my head and chest..."

"Good... now, think back 6 hours... what happened before you left your bed?" The unblinking eyes of the redhead closed in concentration, his breath becoming shallow and controlled.

"I saw the Dark Ace climbing in through the window..."

"Then what?"

"I sat up, trying to reach my blades..."

"Did he say anything to you after climbing in?"

"No... and I heard nothing except his boots against the windowsill..."

"Then what happened?"

"He started to head toward the door... I finally managed to get up and then I went after him..."

"Did you think to get one of us to help you?"

"No..."

"Why not?"

"No one believed me..." His responses were automatic; he took no time to do any thinking.

"What happened when you reached him?"

"He began laughing at me, taunting me..." A tiny hint of anger bled through. Piper looked down to see the hypnosis crystals on the side of the machine dimming rapidly.

"Piper, if the crystals on this thing drain completely, and he wakes up still strapped to that chair, he's gonna be really mad at us!" Stork pointed out scaredly.

"Hang on, Stork! We're making progress! I think I'm getting close to-" A loud "whir", and the machine powered down. Aerrow slumped forward, limp as a wet noodle. As he slowly sat back up, he blinked in confusion.

"Wha? Where am I? Why am I strapped to this chair!?" He scanned the room, finding the navigator and the pilot huddled near a strange contraption. Stork seemed to be working on it as Piper watched with interest.

"Piper, get me out of this thing!" He shouted. She spun around, seeing him struggling desperately.

"Aerrow, it's okay. Stork threw this machine together so we could get to the bottom of all of this... it uses hypnosis crystal energy to put someone in a trance, allowing them to remember things they normally wouldn't..."

"What's that got to do with me!?" He asked, clearly shaken by something. His eyes darted around the room; he was obviously searching for something.

"Aerrow, what's the matter? Can you see the Dark Ace?"

"Can't _you_!? He's right behind you!" He tried to stretch his fingers just enough to reach his blades. The Cyclonian in question walked up behind Piper, placed his hands on her shoulders, and smiled evilly.

"You know, Aerrow, I've always thought your little girlfriend was cute... maybe I should show her what she's missing by playing for the good guys..." His smile grew even bigger.

"NO! DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!!!" Somehow, he managed to break free from the strap holding his right arm down. He grabbed one of his blades, powered it up, and slashed through the remaining restraints, lunging forward toward Piper as he yelled in anger. The navigator ducked out of the way just in time. With so much damage to his body, the redhead couldn't land on his feet, and he tumbled into a heap on the floor as he came back down from his jump, doubled over as he slid to a stop. As he slowly got back to his feet, the Talon tackled him, sending him crashing through the wall and spilling out into the hallway. His blade slid out of his hand, and as the Sky Knight scrambled to reach it, he felt the sharp pain of someone pressing their boot into his back. He cried out in pain as the Dark Ace pressed harder, hearing the satisfying "crunch" of bone breaking. As his pained screams grew louder, Aerrow clawed toward his blade, desperate to reach it and end this fight once and for all. His fingers just made it to the hilt as his foe leapt up and landed knee-first on his spine.

"You can't escape death, Aerrow. You can't beat me, you can't run away, and you can't survive this much longer. Any last words?" The Cyclonian pushed one hand into the boy's stomach, revealing to Aerrow the mass Stork had found earlier. Suddenly, everything started falling in place; his memory shot back to just moments after Cyclonis was finally defeated.

_Flashback... 6 weeks earlier..._

"Aerrow, what happened?" Piper ran up to him, seeing him covered in dirt and blood. To her surprise, he didn't seem to be injured.

"I finally got her, Piper. Cyclonis is in custody and the Dark Ace is dead."

"Thank Atmos you're alright. What _is_ this that's all over you?" She dusted him off; it was a strange, red powder.

"I dunno. It was in a vial in Cyclonis' lab. Got busted during our fight. It doesn't seem to do anything." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Maybe we should have Stork take a look, just to be sure..."

"It's okay, Piper. I'll just take a nice, long shower and rinse it all off. I'm sure I'll be fine."

_Present Day..._

As realization dawned on him, the redhead began to put it all together. Later that afternoon, before he'd had his shower, he felt a burning sensation in the exact spot in his skin that was over the mass he now felt inside him. After a strange rash sprang up, he hid the happenings as best he could. Ever since, he hadn't been the same.

"Wait! Just one last thing, Dark Ace!" To his surprise, the older man let up.

"And what is that?"

"How is it you aren't covered in dust?" He looked up and down the frame of his adversary; having landed in a pile of dusty boxes, Aerrow was covered in it. The Dark Ace wasn't.

"What are you talking about, Sky Knight?"

"I'm covered with dust, but you aren't. We should _both_ be covered, since no one's cleaned this hallway in weeks!" He managed to flip over, grabbing his blade and holding it behind his back.

"So what? In just a few seconds, Aerrow, it's not going to matter..."

"You're right about that..." As he planned what he was about to do next, Aerrow felt himself lifted by the collar.

"Don't worry, Aerrow... I'm sure they'll clean up the mess from this..." The Talon raised the tips of his blade, poised to slice through the redhead's throat. It was then that the Sky Knight acted.

"It's over, Dark Ace... leave... me... alone..." He plunged the blade deep into his flesh, right into the mass. He felt not just an intense pain, but also the release of something into his chest cavity. He convulsed dangerously as Piper watched, helpless to stop what was happening.

"AERROW!!!" His seemingly lifeless body hit the floor, blood slowly pooling around him. In his mind, Aerrow could hear her voice. He thought the words, but no sound came out of his mouth.

"_Piper, I'm so sorry you had to see this. Please forgive me... I... I love you..._"


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: This chapter's an introspective... Aerrow's looking inside himself as his life hangs in the balance... so, be ready for anything... also, I have _no_ idea what Aerrow's mom looks like... the description's just a guess, so deal with it...

As Aerrow opened his eyes, he found himself floating in a void: nothing but darkness as far as the eye could see. His uniform had been repaired, his wounds healed. Incredulous, he stared aimlessly as he drifted; he had absolutely no idea what was going on. Then, he heard a voice.

"_Aerrow?"_ Suddenly, a door appeared in front of him: a nondescript, white door. He reached out and turned the knob. After he opened the door, he saw Piper standing in front of him, waving nonchalantly.

"Piper? What are you...?" He stopped in midsentence, then looked around; the room was painted a sky blue, little orange crystals dotting the walls and ceiling. He stammered a bit, unsure what to say.

"Aerrow, it's okay. Everything's gonna be fine."

"Piper, where are we?"

"I'm not really here; then again, neither are you." She answered enigmatically.

"Huh?"

"We're inside your mind, Aerrow. Try to stay with me."

"Oh! And who - or what - are you supposed to be, Piper?" She giggled.

"_I'm_ your feminine side, of course-"

"Of course." He interrupted dryly.

"_And_ your intellect. You're having what could be called a 'hallucination'..." She sat down on one of two chairs that appeared out of nowhere. He sat down as well.

"And _why_ would I be hallucinating?" He asked, frustration setting in.

"Because of the massive hemorrhaging from the multiple lacerations. Of course, the blunt force trauma didn't help anything either, but-"

"Piper!"

"Sorry. It's 'cause you got beat up."

"Why didn't you just say _that_?" He was nearly depleted of patience, and, he assumed - correctly - that this was only the first stop on his inner journey.

"I'm your _intellect_, remember? I'm _supposed_ to use big words..." She answered matter-of-factly.

"You said you're also my feminine side, but you're in a t-shirt and sweatpants. Shouldn't you be wearing a dress or something?" He remarked absently. Suddenly, she got up and crossed her arms, glaring at him angrily.

"You don't get it, do you!? You're dying, Aerrow - _really_ dying - and the only thing that's gonna keep you alive is how much you _want_ to live!"

"Well, how was _I_ supposed to know that!?" He yelled back, more than a little off-put by her statement about his precarious physical condition.

"Aerrow! You're hopeless! Maybe your sense of humor can get through to you!" She shoved him out the door, slamming it in his face. He scratched his head confusedly.

"I guess she's my anger, too." He nervously joked.

"No, that would be me. But it's not time for us to meet yet." A dark, strangely familiar voice called out into the darkness.

"_Hey, Aerrow!_" Someone called to him. He turned around (somehow; he was again floating in the void) and was suddenly in another room. This one was very different; painted a bold yellow, accented with little gag items: whoopee cushions, joy buzzers, and so on.

"Hey, buddy! How's it goin'?" Finn came up behind him.

"Finn? Let me guess; you're my sense of humor." He said dejectedly.

"Aww, c'mon! What's wrong with that? But that's not _all_ I am." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Okay. What else _are_ you, Finn?"

"I'm your romantic side... sort of." He answered nervously, shuffling one foot shyly.

"What? No way! I'm not-"

"_C'mon_, Aerrow. You can lie to other people, but you can't lie to _yourself_!" Finn stated with a somewhat sing-songy voice. The redhead sighed wearily.

"Guess I can't argue with _that_." He said after a few awkward moments.

"And you need to tell Piper how you feel about her..." He said, suddenly very serious.

"What? Are you nuts!? What if she doesn't feel the same way!? I'd be putting the whole team in danger if we started fighting all the time!" He shot back defensively.

"Dude, what did I _just_ say about lying to yourself!? And don't be stupid; Piper's loved you practically since you became a Sky Knight." He reminded him.

"Yeah, but... Finn, how do I-"

"When the time comes, good buddy, you'll _know_ what you have to do..."

"Gee, thanks, Finn." The Sky Knight responded sarcastically. The blond shot his finger pistols.

"No problem, dude. Just doin' my job. And now, off ya go!" Again, he was suddenly back in the void. Aerrow yelled in frustration, trying to sort everything out.

_Meanwhile..._

"No pulse! BP's 120 over 65 and dropping fast!" Two EMTs stood over Aerrow's lifeless body, one furiously pumping his chest as the Storm Hawks helplessly looked on.

"Aerrow... hang on..." Piper whispered softly.

_Back in Aerrow's mind..._

"Hello? Hello!?" Aerrow had found himself in a dismal wasteland; the overcast skies clashed nicely with the seemingly lifeless grass. As he walked along a forest path, through a maze of depressingly grey trees, he came upon a clearing. In it, sitting on a fallen tree trunk, was Stork.

"Stork? Hey, buddy... what's going on?"

"Oh, who cares? You're doomed, I'm doomed, everybody is DOOMED!" A dramatic gasp as he turned to look at the redhead. "Did I mention that we're doomed?" His right eye twitched nervously.

"Uh, only a few times... in a last sentence..." Aerrow responded uncertainly.

"Well, if we're all still here when you come back from being unconscious, I've got a life lesson for you to use; sometimes, you have to accept life the way it is... there are some things you just can't fix, Aerrow..."

"And _who_ are you supposed to be: my logic and sadness?" The redhead asked curtly.

"No! Well, sort of, but... it's complicated!" The Merb turned to look away.

"I'm sorry, Stork. I didn't mean it like that." Aerrow's voice softened. He came over and sat next the pilot on the log, watching with a smile as he turned to look at him again.

"Yes, you did."

"No, I-"

"Hello? Didn't your intellect tell you _anything_!?" He hissed angrily.

"Yes, she did! It just... didn't make a whole lotta sense." He admitted nervously.

"Piper?"

"Piper."

"Yeah, I had a feeling... but, since you're doomed to a lonely life, I suggest you get used to it..." Suddenly, Stork pulled a lever that wasn't there a second ago, causing Aerrow to fall down some unknowable distance (somehow; even in his own head, things still didn't make sense sometimes...) and into a river. Landing headfirst, the Sky Knight coughed and gagged as he struggled to breathe. After finally getting himself out of the gentle current, he staggered onto shore. Suddenly, the shore turned from a riverbank into a scenic beach. As he rubbed his head, he felt a soft tap on his shoulder. He turned to see a pair of tiny yellow eyes staring at him. A friendly chirp reached his ears.

"Radarr?" A nod.

"Who are you supposed to be?" The fuzzball made a few hand gestures, but their meaning flew over the Sky Knight's head. He stared quizzically at him, unable to understand. Then, after growling in frustration, Radarr pulled out pen and paper, writing the words "curiosity" and "suspicion".

"Oh." The redhead stated. The sky monkey facepalmed then pointed to another door. This one had no doorknob on it.

"You want me to follow you in there?" Aerrow asked. Radarr shook his head, then wrote his response on the paper.

"No. You need to go in by yourself."

"Why?"

"Because I said so..." Radarr then shoved the pen and paper back in his pocket (which appeared to be a part of his thigh, since there _were_ no pockets on his uniform) and scurried off to push the door open. It creaked loudly, and as Aerrow walked through, he felt a stinging in the back on his head.

"Ah!" He clutched his temples in agony, his knees buckling. His friend ran over, whining worriedly.

"My head hurts, Radarr." The creature nodded as the Sky Knight winced in pain, and when Aerrow had turned back toward the door, he felt the fuzzball push him through it. His new location was the dentist's office on Wallop where they'd taken Junko.

"Hey, Aerrow." Junko walked over from behind the dentist's chair.

"Hey, Junko... who're you supposed to be?" He asked patiently, not really wanting an answer.

"I'm your conscience." The Wallop stated proudly. He motioned for Aerrow to sit in the chair. The redhead did so, looking around at the all too familiar room.

"So, Aerrow... you tell Finn you're sorry yet?" Junko continued, flipping a few switches lightly. Aerrow's eyes widened a bit when he heard equipment powering up.

"Sorry about what?"

"About the way you spoke to 'im the other day... you really hurt his feelings by not being thankful..."

"For what!? He just came to visit!" Aerrow watched with impossibly wide eyes as the drill from the room's ceiling dropped down and approached his mouth. The glass guard around it held his mouth open as the drill bit inched its way further and further toward his teeth.

"Junko, stop this! Please! I'm beggin' ya!!"

"Then tell me the truth. Did you feel bad after what you said to Finn?"

"Yes! I did! I-I don't know what came over me! I'm just so angry all the time!!" He broke down, sobbing loudly as the drill stopped spinning.

"It's okay, Aerrow. We're here to help you." Piper and the rest of them suddenly appeared around him as Junko helped him up and out of the chair. The Sky Knight dropped to his knees, his eyes still streaming tears, and began to pound his fists into the floor, bawling loudly. He curled up into a ball and sobbed for almost 15 minutes, his friends rubbing his back and saying the most comforting words they could find. Finally, mercifully, he calmed down: eyes reddened and puffy, collar stained with tears.

"What's wrong, Aerrow? Why does it bother you so much that you didn't get the Dark Ace?" Piper finally asked.

"Because he... he took my father away!" He began crying again, only to have someone put their finger over his lips and shush him softly. A fair-skinned blond woman kneeled down in front of him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"There, there, Aerrow... hush, now..."

"Mommy?" His voice sounded like a little kid: an eight-year-old, maybe.

"It's okay, baby. Mommy's gotcha, Mommy's gotcha." She pulled him into her lap, laying his head on her shoulder. He sniffled a bit, trying to calm down.

"Mommy... why? Why did Daddy go away?" He looked at her sadly, tears welling up in his eyes again.

"I don't know, honey... I don't know... I really wish I had an answer for you, Aerrow." She rubbed his back comfortingly. He softly sobbed into her shoulder.

"Shh... it's okay, Aerrow... my sweet baby boy..." Her voice started to break a little and she held him tighter, hearing him cry louder. Suddenly, the room was filled with darkness, and it all melted away: his mom, his friends, everything. Only darkness, broken slightly by the blade of an unseen foe. His enemy's eyes glowed a dark red, matching perfectly the color of his blade.

"You know me already, Aerrow. Anger!" He lunged forward, thrusting the glowing blade into the redhead's face. Before the Sky Knight could even react further, his opponent had kicked his feet out from under him. The glow of the double blade revealed the aggressor: a strange man indeed. He looked almost exactly like Aerrow, except his hair was black, his eyes were red, and he wore a helmet just like the Dark Ace.

"What the hell!? Who... _what_ are you?"

"I'm the part of you that wants revenge on the Dark Ace!" He shoved the blade into Aerrow's shoulder, making him cry out in pain. His headache returned, stronger this time, and he felt something was wrong. As he layed there helplessly, ready to receive the final blow, something dawned on him. It was something Piper - or his intellect, rather - had said.

"_You're dying, Aerrow - _really _dying - and the only thing that's gonna keep you alive is how much you _want_ to live!_" As this throught ran through him, he felt a pulsation run through his chest. At once, he heard voices from somewhere, calling his name. The Angry Aerrow lunged again, trying to finish off the real deal.

"I guess you just aren't strong enough." But the Sky Knight suddenly produced his blades from behind his back, dodged out of the way, and jumped to his feet. As his opponent yelled in anger, Aerrow lunged forward himself, digging his blades into his foe's midsection.

"I'm already stronger than you'll ever be, and I DON'T WANNA BE YOU!!!" He sliced off the Angry Aerrow's head, dropping to his knees in exhaustion. As he fell forward, landing on his chest, he felt the urge to sleep begin to overcome him. As he slowly closed his eyes...

...

"Aerrow! Aerrow!!" Piper screamed as the EMTs finally gave up trying to revive him. After nearly an hour, they felt it was too late. Piper fell to her knees beside him, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Aerrow..." She whispered sadly. As she held him against her, she began to sob. As the other Storm Hawks began to tear up with her, they heard a distinct sound: the distinct sound of labored breathing.

"Aerrow!?" Piper queried disbelievingly. As she pulled away, she saw him slowly open his eyes.

"P-Piper..." He said weakly.

"AERROW!!!" She hugged him tightly, nearly crushing the battered and bloody Sky Knight.

"Piper, you're gonna kill 'im! He needs to breathe!" Finn shouted as he struggled to pull Aerrow free. Finally, he succeeded in freeing him from the navigator's killer hug. She laughed a bit and smiled sheepishly.

"Finn..." The blond looked down at the redhead.

"I'm... sorry... about what... I said... that other day... I... didn't mean... to be mean... to you..." He said between ragged breaths. Finn's face lit up with happiness.

"Well, if it's _that_ important that I forgive you..." He joked, chuckling a bit when he felt Aerrow weakly punch him in the arm.

"C'mon, Aerrow. Let's get you to bed. You've had _way_ too much excitement over the past few days." Piper stated, somewhat jokingly. Aerrow simply smiled.

"Yeah... sounds like a good idea to me..."

Author's Note: This _isn't_ the last chapter, so... stay tuned for the epilogue...


	7. Chapter 7

"Hey, Aerrow..." Piper whispered softly to the redhead, her heart racing a bit after hearing him stirring from his well-deserved sleep. He slowly opened his eyes; she was relieved to see them back to the emerald green that he wore so well.

"Hey, Piper..." The Sky Knight responded weakly.

"It looks like Cyclonis tried to do you in one more time, while she still could..."

"Whaddya mean?" The navigator pulled out a illustration of something, pointing to various doodads as she spoke.

"That powder you got all over yourself when you fought them a few weeks ago was a chemical warfare agent Cyclonis was cooking up... she intended to shower the Council with it, but I don't know _how_... she would've had to have someone on the inside... I'm thinking Carver, but he's still in jail, so it couldn't have been him... _unless_ he broke out, hell bent on getting his revenge... in that case, he probably would've poisoned the Council's food or something, I don't know..." She rambled on like this for nearly half an hour before she realized Aerrow had gone back to sleep. At first, she was insulted; she couldn't have been _that_ boring. But, remembering what he'd just been through, she let it go, tucking the Sky Knight in as he snored lightly. As she walked out, she left the illustration on his desk, whispering, "I'll tell you the rest later, Aerrow."

...

After returning to the bridge, she found it devoid of life, except for Stork, of course. The Merb stood at the helm, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Hey, Stork... how's it going?"

"Oh, it's been better, Piper... I _still_ haven't figured out how to help you guys with your romance problem..." His eye twitched slightly. The navigator giggled softly.

"Don't worry about it yet, Stork... he still needs a lot of rest..."

"Yeah, but... I don't know a thing about human mating rituals-"

"_Mating rituals_!?" She shouted in disbelief. "No, no, no, Stork... you've got it all wrong... I really like Aerrow... love him, even... but I'm not ready for that kind of relationship yet..."

"Your lips say 'no', your scent says 'yes'..."

"Wh-what!?" Stork turned to face her, smiling evilly from ear to ear.

"You forget; Merbs have an acute sense of smell... and right now, your pheromones are screaming 'do me, now'..."

"Stork!" She blushed heavily, trying to find something to say in response. Just then, Finn waltzed onto the bridge.

"Hey, guys... what's up?" He loudly munched on an apple, eying the pair as they stared at him.

"What?" He said defensively.

"Nothing... it's just... how much of our conversation did you hear, Finn?"

"What conversation?" A loud "crunch" as he took another bite.

"That's fine, then..." She responded. Suddenly, she heard an high-pitched electronic beeping near her.

"Yep... I was right... you _are_ in heat..." Stork stated loudly, eliciting a shocked glance from Finn and a half-angry/half-embarrassed growl from Piper.

"Stork, you are _so_ dead!" She chased the Merb as he took off down the hallway that lead toward Aerrow's room. A sudden skidding turn took the pilot through the redhead's door. When Piper ran up to the now open door, she heard Stork whimpering scaredly.

"I know you're in here, Stork... I'm gonna find you, and when I do, you are in _so much trouble_!" The crystal mage whispered angrily into the dark bedroom. Suddenly, a blur of green rushed past her and out the door, which promptly closed, trapping her inside. Piper pressed the button to release it, but nothing happened.

"Piper?" Aerrow called out to her as the lights suddenly came on.

"H-hey, Aerrow... sorry if we woke you..."

"'We'? What 'we' are you talking about?"

"Never mind..."

"Okay..." She moved closer to him and sat on the edge of the Sky Knight's bed. She was startled by a loud, angry chirp.

"Oops! Sorry, Radarr." She laughed nervously as she sat next to him on the chair in front of his desk, dragging the chair over to his bed. Radarr crawled out from under the edge of the bed covers, rubbing the top of his head and growling softly, and scurried out the door, which opened and closed very quickly.

"So... I guess we've got some things to talk about..." Aerrow suddenly spoke as Piper turned back toward him.

"Yeah, but-" She leaned in closer to his face. "-we don't have to talk about them right now, if you don't want to..." Suddenly, the redhead kissed the navigator on the cheek.

"I want to..." He said softly, eyeing her with keen interest. She blushed heavily and giggled, unsure of what to say next. For the next 3 hours, they talked about everything from what had happened to what might come next, until Aerrow looked up at her and asked,

"So, how're we gonna explain this to the guys?" Piper scratched the back of her head.

"I don't know, Aerrow... it's been an interesting week..."


End file.
